LIVE: PANDA BEAR – 02/12/2011

– METHODIST CENTRAL HALL, MANCHESTER – Right, where do I begin? Just another Friday-night planned to be spent indoors out of solidarity with the ‘big society’ (…) when I get a call whether I fancy joining a friend to see Panda Bear at Central Methodist Hall. “Panda Bear, Panda Bear… name rings a bell but.. […]
In keeping with its string of synth-pop releases throughout 2011, Planet Mu presents Keep Shelly In Athens. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information I can give you about the duo. My research produced few answers, but I can confirm that there are two of them, the singer, Sarah, is a very pretty lady and together they […]

EP Review: Keep Shelly In Athens – Campus Martius

LIVE: Elbow – 27/10/2011

– MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL, MANCHESTER – What more is there to say about Elbow? Their story has been so well covered it has rendered itself redundant. There’s something so Hollywood, something hopelessly romantic about their rise to fame and fortune. Their long tête-à-tête with obscurity, the band that make it with their make or break album, […]
– CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER – Of all the electro indie revivalists Cut Copy is one of the few not to suck balls…and that is because Cut Copy is essentially a good time, euphoria-inducing dance act that happens to play guitars. The indie element is thankfully minimal. This is not music for the grey matter, it’s for […]

LIVE: Cut Copy – 26/10/2011

NEWS: DANANANANAYKROYD – FULL ALBUM STREAM

After announcing their decision to call it a day, the fantastic Dananananaykroyd hit the road one more time tomorrow to play their last ever string of shows. It’s a last chance to see the band who have regularly and deservedly been described as “the best live band in the world”. “We all still love each […]
– THE GOOD FUN ISSUE – Kitsuné’s head-honcho and the brain behind its renowned compilation series, Gildas Loaëc, is letting us discover it for the first time on headphones because his young sons are sleeping next door. However the energy is more present than ever in the spontaneous musical outbursts gathered in this new edition […]

NEWS: KITSUNE MAISON 12 – ALBUM TRACK LISTING & FREE MINIMIX

EP: Fruits de Mer Records – Do Not Adjust Your Set

This latest release from the splendid Fruits de Mer record label is a six track EP that is a kitsch retro fest. Six theme tunes, three each from the halcyon days of the BBC and ITV when summer holidays meant badly dubbed and almost impossible to follow TV shows from the colonies, and SUPERMARIONATION meant […]
– NIGHT & DAY CAFE, MANCHESTER – Tales of Owen Morris’s eccentric behaviour during the recording of Exile Parade’s debut album are fuelling my anticipation as I make my way to see them perform at the Night and Day Cafe. Apparently, things took a confrontational turn during the sessions at Monnow Valley Studios, when the […]

LIVE: EXILE PARADE – 22/10/2011 (WITH FREE DOWNLOAD)

SINGLE: Casiokids – Det Haster!

‘Det Haster!’, roughly translated (by google translator of course) to ‘Urgency’, is particularly apt. Norway’s Casiokids are absolutely amazing live. Fact! They are a blistering, amphetamine ball of electro energy, vibrance and fun. This spectacle has not yet successfully translated onto vinyl. On record the keytarists are a vapid, 2D disappointment. It’s a bit like […]
To reform or not to reform? For many grey-haired rockers, post-punks and Manchester indie sorts (hello Stone Roses!) the answer has of late been in the affirmative. The results of these reformations have been mixed. The Go-Betweens and Gang Of Four both picked up like they never stopped, successfully pushing their original sounds to new […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Magazine – No Thyself